Two Hearts Entwined
by Phantomgirl44
Summary: This is a short story based on the events of the book, 'The Phantom of the Opera' by Gaston Leroux. A year has passed since Christine's last encounter with Erik. She called off her wedding and moved to America to start a new life. Yet, her past catches up with her, when she spots the opera ghost in a travelling carnival. Will this be her last chance for happiness?
1. Chapter 1

It was almost a year since I had last set eyes on my Erik, not a day had gone by that I did not think of him. Yet, I finally thought that I had moved on with my life, I was starting to feel some semblance of happy again. I felt a sense of freedom in my life, as I was not fully bound by the chains of love anymore. See, I never married Raoul or Erik, I discovered my true feelings too late.

That day, the day that my life changed so completely, still presses to my memory. There was stillness in the air and a thick ebony blanket stretched through the sky, as I sat alone on the De'Chagny balcony on the night before my wedding. Something Raoul said had been playing on my mind as of late. "… Would you love him, if he were beautiful", this question was met with a stony silence at the time, as I had not known exactly how to answer. Yet, in the stillness of the night, on that balcony, the answer was plain and simple, "Yes". Only, then did I realise what a truly horrid person I must be. Truthfully, all his terrible deeds did not bother me so; after all, I understood that he only treated the world as it treated him. What really bothered me was that face, that haunting face, which was nothing more than a skull. Every part of that poor man, felt dead, even his beautiful, beautiful music had a painful sorrow to it. That was when the realisation dawned on me, like my eyes were seeing for the first time, I realised my selfishness, Appearance shouldn't matter. I loved his man; I unconditionally loved him to my core. What was I doing? I was marrying a man that I didn't love! Suddenly the room become a red hot furnace, the walls were pressing down on my soul. I knew what I needed to do!

Before I could register my own thoughts, I awoke from my mad trance like state to realise that I was standing in front of the entrance to Erik's lair. Then I realised that we were both standing there, yellow eyes locked to my ice blue ones. I was frozen to the spot, my heart beating like a ticking time bomb. All of a sudden, I sprang to my senses; I knew I had to make the first move, as intimidating as Erik could be, I knew that he would never approach me without my permission. I started to run towards him, and then our lips locked in a strong, passionate kiss. For that moment in time, I felt fully complete, this was the first time that I had ever kissed anyone but Raoul. I knew in that instant that my heart belonged to this man and that I couldn't go through with the wedding.

I poured my heart and soul out to that man on that night, we sang, laughed, cried. He even let me sleep back inside my old room, form the days where he kidnapped me… yet this time I was a guest. I was so happy. Both our lives would finally begin, we would get married, have children maybe?

I awoke in the morning to the gentle lapping of the waves on the underground lake. It was so peaceful and calm in his lair, the perfect escape from the cold, harsh world. Then… I saw it. That piece of old stained parchment, containing the words that would rip my soul in two, written in that childish scrawl:

_Go back to Raoul, my child. Marry him and be happy, you will never see me again._

_I will always love you._

_P.O_

These words were like a knife to my soul that destroyed me and caused me so many months of anguish.

Only, I didn't go back to Raoul, I didn't truly love him, If I couldn't have my Angle of Music, then I didn't want anyone. I decided to go to America. I would start a new life where no one knew me. I spent my days signing. I lived to sing and people adored me. I was starting to become quite the successful artist. I was even slowly piecing back together my broken soul.

I was walking through the park one day, on my way to the Met, when I spotted that a travelling circus was in town. Naturally I was very curious as I knew that this was the world in which Erik had grown up, before becoming an architect and moving to Paris. I entered through the elaborate metal arch, through to a world of colour and wonderment. In the centre there lay a large yellow and red striped tent, framed by cages containing all kinds of wonders, like tigers and elephants! I couldn't help but think that it was cruel to keep animals in that way. I pitted them. Out of my own curiosity I approached one of the cages. It was a horrible, rusted contraption set upon wheels. As, I drew nearer, I was horrified to find that the cage contained a man. My heart contracted when I saw that mask. That mask lying next to that ghost of a man.

I must have just been standing there for an hour. I didn't know what to do, what could I do. I was shocked and frightened. With horror I realised that those yellow eyes were focused onto mine. Neither of us spoke, after all what could we say. He was crying, whenever I see him he always seems to be crying, what a poor broken soul to always be crying. I noticed that there were whip marks covering his skin, which oozed with blood, as I drew closer. I slowly bent down and picked up that beautiful black mask, handing it to him. He gratefully took it and fixed it across that disfigured face, making him seem almost human, apart from that hollow gap which should contain his nose.

A little time passed, in which we would just star at each other through those evil bars dividing us from our true love. I couldn't hold his gaze for too long because my heart was filled with too much sorrow and pity so I reverted them to the ground. I noticed an odd twinkling emanating from the grass. It was a key! It must be a key to my Angel's cage. I knew what I had to do. In a flash the key was turning in the lock, I was gripping those ice cold fingers and running as fast as my week legs would carry me.


	2. Chapter 2

We came to a sudden halt outside a small townhouse set in dark stone. This was that place that I had begun to call home after these past few months, when I had begun to work up a comfortable amount of money from my career as a singer. I hastily pounded on my front door calling to my maid to answer. I was soon greeted by her plump, rosy face, with an unusual look of surprise in her eyes upon seeing my erratic looking companion. I just nodded curtly, for her to let us through, as I was too weary to explain our story. She moved aside with a polite curtsey, eyes still fixed in a stony, untrusting stare upon my guest. Once home, I dismissed my maid and positioned myself on the long, thin sofa next to my Erik.

As, soon as I heard the slamming of the door, marking my maid retreating to her own living quarters, I fixed my eyes upon Erik with a cold, angry stare. "What on earth were you thinking, putting yourself on display in that vial carnival freak show", I almost growled at him. He replied with a cruel laugh, "I was earning money, and there are limited jobs around for people like me, would you rather have me haunt another opera house?" I fell silent at his harsh words. I didn't know how to reply, this man had broken my heart. We could have been happy together if only he hadn't walked away on that night, yet I knew exactly why he did so and I understood completely.

To break the awkwardness of the atmosphere in the room, I moved to gaze out through the window. I felt like I was staring into nothingness forever, when I felt something cold touch the middle of my fragile back. I frowned at the touch of his hand, as he turned my body around to face his. I felt just like a lost, hopeless, little girl at the situation that surrounded me so without think, I placed my heavy head against his chest and he wrapped his arms around me in an embrace. Stroking my hair, he whispered a mumbled apology into my ear. "I never did marry Raoul", I whispered into the drowsy evening light.


	3. Chapter 3

I drifted off into a happy dream-like slumber, that night. My dreams were a merge of swirling blues and soft soft lilacs, decorated with pretty ornate twinkling stars. For the first time in a very long time, I actually felt safe. Yet, as quickly as I had fallen into this heavenly slumber, I was harshly pulled back from it. I looked around with an expression of pure confusion. The room was still plunged in darkness, so I guessed that it was very early morning, very early indeed, when normal folk should not be awake. There was a boney hand tugging on my arm and a tall figure silhouetted in front of my sleepy eyes. "What!", I hissed into the darkness. I made out the faint sounds of rustling as he perched himself on the edge of my bed. "Come here" , his voice boomed through the darkness. I shuffled around a little and then just flopped down onto his knee. He began to stroke my cascading blonde locks as I lay there begging sleep to claim me once again.

After a few moments of silence, his voice cut through the darkness, "Remember our conversation earlier, in which I said that I should go and haunt another opera house… well, that is what I will do my angel, I will build the most wonderful opera house the world has ever seen, and we can live there, in a sort of underground house." I let a little giggle escape, I just wanted to drift back into my beautiful dreams. "Okay, you go and build an opera house, and I will get some sleep. You know, in a strange way, I always dreamed of living somewhere away from the prying eyes of the world, my own slice of heaven", I replied in a thoughtful tone.

I awoke the next morning in a confused daze, I could not quite grasp where I was or who I was. Then my memories all came drifting back as I noticed the masked man staring down upon me. With an amused smile planted upon my face, I realised that we were still in the same position in which I had succumbed to sleep. "Didn't you sleep last night", I pondered. He gazed at me and I noticed a little twinkle shinning in his yellow eyes. "No, I spent all night watching you sleep, you look so beautiful and peaceful when you sleep and I could not quite believe my luck!". The corners of my mouth inched up into a wide grin. I had never felt this happy in my whole life, as I felt now.

Erik began to sing a melody softly into my ear, caressing every single note with love and devotion. I lay there for a while, just listening in a trance like state, as whenever he sings to me, it always seems to have a hypnotising effect upon me. Suddenly, I was trust up onto my feet and pulled into the hold needed to begin a waltz. Time ran by as we waltzed the day away, singing, spinning and laughing. I smiled to myself, thinking that for once in my life I had made the right decision. I had turned this ghost into a man, simply by loving him.


End file.
